North Carolina Dept of Public Safety & Corrections (NCDPS) — Inmate Records & Recent Arrests

North Carolina DAC: Offender Search, Visits, Money & Mail

This page holds the inmate records we have on file for North Carolina's state prison system, now run by the Department of Adult Correction (NCDAC) — the agency that took over the state's prisons from the former Department of Public Safety. North Carolina runs a large statewide system, and the person you are looking for could be housed at any of its facilities and may be transferred during their sentence. The records below are a historical directory of custody entries we hold — a starting point for identifying the right person and taking the next step — not a live count of any single facility, so confirm anything current against the state's official search. For more on this facility — history, programs, and what to expect — see our full facility profile.

How to find someone with Offender Public Information

North Carolina maintains the Offender Public Information (OPI) search, which covers state prison offenders as well as people on probation or parole. To search, you need the person's full name or their NCDAC offender ID number. On this page you can also browse the records we hold by last name (A–Z), gender, or age to narrow a common name, then confirm the current facility and offender ID through OPI. Because people are transferred between North Carolina institutions as their classification changes, a record here can lag behind a recent move, so verify before you plan a visit or send anything.

Getting approved to visit

Face-to-face visitation in North Carolina requires a mandatory pre-approval process, and it runs through the incarcerated person: they must request and send you an original Inmate Visitors Application (Form DC-949). Background checks commonly take 30 to 90 days, so start early. North Carolina allows a generous list — a maximum of 18 visitor applications per offender, and the offender may have up to 18 approved visitors — which makes room for extended family. Once you are approved, confirm the specific facility's visiting days, hours, and identification and dress rules, and bring valid photo identification. Confirm the schedule before you travel in case it has changed for operational reasons.

Mail goes to a third-party processor

North Carolina has adopted a strict mail policy to keep drugs like K2/Spice off soaked paper: you can no longer mail personal letters directly to the prison. Instead, all personal mail must be sent to a third-party processing center in Maryland, where it is handled before reaching the person. There are specific format rules — letters must be on white paper no larger than 8.5 by 11 inches and limited to 10 pages per envelope, and prohibited items include glitter, glue, tape, stickers, and any 3D elements. Personal mail cannot contain cash, money orders, or stamps, which will be returned to the sender. Address mail with the person's committed name and NCDAC offender ID, and keep it strictly within these rules so it is not rejected.

Sending money

To add money to a person's trust account, North Carolina uses approved third-party vendors, partnering with companies such as ViaPath (including ConnectNetwork and TouchPay) and JPay. You can deposit online with a credit or debit card, through a mobile app, or by phone. Electronic transfers involve transaction fees that vary by method and amount. Funds let a person buy commissary items and cover communication costs, and for many families this steady, practical support is the most useful thing they can offer between visits. Always include the correct NCDAC offender ID so the deposit reaches the right account, and allow processing time before the balance is available.

Phone calls and messaging

Calls are placed by the incarcerated person out to numbers on their approved list, so set up and fund an account with the facility's phone provider in advance and make sure your number is approved so their calls connect. Many North Carolina facilities also offer tablet-based electronic messaging, which can be faster than the third-party mail process for short notes. For families who talk frequently, lower-cost calling arrangements can meaningfully reduce the expense over a long sentence, and pairing calls with visits and steady mail keeps the connection strong.

Programs, parole, and reentry

Because NCDAC holds sentenced people, many families are also navigating classification, earned credits, and parole rather than a pending trial. North Carolina offers education, vocational, and treatment programming, and participation can matter both for a person's daily life and, in some cases, for their release timeline. Staying closely involved — encouraging participation and helping line up the practical pieces of reentry, such as housing and identification — is one of the most effective things a family can do, and consistent contact is associated with smoother transitions back to the community.

Reading this page responsibly

Every entry here is drawn from public records and captures a moment in time rather than the live state of North Carolina's prison system. People are reclassified, transferred, and released, so a listing can be out of date, and details such as a name, an identification number, or an age may be recorded imperfectly — a reflection of the underlying data, never a comment on the individual. Read any record as a pointer, and settle the facts through the Offender Public Information search, which is the authoritative source. If a person you know is missing, they may be held locally, moving through intake, or newly admitted, so give it a day and try again, or search on the last name alone. Above all, an arrest or a listing is not a conviction; everyone here retains the presumption of innocence.

Next steps

Confirm your loved one's NCDAC offender ID and current facility through the Offender Public Information search, then use this page to keep track and take the next step — have them send you a DC-949 visiting application, set up an approved money vendor, and open a steady line of mail routed through the third-party processor within the format rules. Everyone listed here is presumed innocent or is serving a sentence after conviction; a listing here is not a judgment. Verify anything time-sensitive with the facility before you travel or send anything.

Sources: www.dac.nc.gov/dac-services/criminal-offender..., www.dac.nc.gov/